To help mailers plan, the Postal Service is ordered to provide bi-weekly estimates of the incremental and cumulative surcharge revenue it has received starting with the quarter in which the Postal Service anticipates removing the surcharge. In other words, if the Postal Service thinks it will have recouped the 2.8 billion dollars the PRC found it was entitled to receive in after rates contribution by September 2015, it will need to start doing reports on where it stands with revenue recouped every two weeks in the third quarter.

The Postal Service shall file with the PRC a notice of the removal of the exigent surcharge at least 45 days before the date of the removal.

The Postal Service is free to, but not required to, simultaneously file its cumulative CPI increase at the same time that it files the notice of the removal of the exigent surcharge so that the implementation date of the CPI rate adjustment, and the removal, are the same. However, the PRC ordered the USPS to separately file for and address compliance with the rate cap requirement, and the requirements relating to work-share discounts, in its CPI rate filing. Any CPI adjustment must be calculated on the base rate.

If the Postal Service elects to remove the surcharge without an accompanying inflation based adjustment, it is not required to demonstrate that the resulting rates are in compliance with the price cap or work-sharing discounts. It could simply do an across the board 4.3% rollback.

The PRC agreed that the Postal Service would be able to take into account (and deduct an amount from cumulative revenues) for Forever stamps bought before the exigency increase but used during the period that the exigency increase has been applied, to account for the use of Forever stamps that were bought at a lower price. The adjustment the Commission will permit represents approximately 1% of the 2.3 billion cap on the allowed surcharge.

Although no official announcement has been made, the discussions that took place before the end of the year, and the Postal Service’s postponement of its normal fall filing of the CPI rate adjustment, and filing for any incentives, suggests that the USPS is contemplating a rate adjustment that would occur at approximately the same time period. Keep in mind, that this assumes that the Court of Appeals upholds all or some limit on the 4.3% increase as a permanent price change. We are still waiting for the results of that decision.

Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers: Anyway you cut it; the USPS had a great fiscal year 2014. Their announcement even had something positive in the headline, “U.S. Postal Service Reports Revenue Increase,” for the first time in recent memory. And though there was much positive to report, you can almost hear Pat Donahoe quote Butch Cassidy to Postal CFO Joe Corbett: “Don’t sugar coat it like that, Kid.”

The headline also said, “$5.5 Billion Loss in Fiscal 2014,” but as we have been saying for months, the reported loss was entirely due to non-cash accounting adjustments. Actual cash on hand was over $5 billion or 19 days of operating cash versus the single digits at the low point. The Postal Service Fund held $5.1 billion on September 30 and $5.5 billion on October 31. So again we see that the liquidity crisis that the USPS cited many times as a driver of needed legislation is no longer with us.

Highlights of USPS performance in FY 2014 included:

Operating revenue was up $1.9 billion over 2013 to $67.8 billion, excluding a one-time adjustment last year related to Forever stamps.

Revenue grew for the second year in a row, caused by package shipping volume increases and by price increases on mail combined with much smaller volume declines.

Total mail volume was 155.4 billion pieces, down slightly from 158.2 billion last year. The mail decrease was 2.8 billion pieces or 1.8%. Shipping volume grew by 300 million pieces or 8.1%. Standard Mail, which is used heavily by nonprofits, decreased by only 495 million pieces and First Class Mail dropped 2.2 billion in volume.

Excluding a non-cash charge for interest rates related to workers compensation, overall operating expenses were down to $71 billion from $72.1 billion the year before, a major accomplishment.

The USPS Board of Governors selects Megan Brennan as the 74th Postmaster General and CEO of the USPS

I am deeply honored and humbled to take on this role at such an exciting time for the organization. The Postal Service plays a vital role in America’s society and economy and I’m looking forward to strengthening that role and meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving marketplace in the years ahead, said Brennan.

On July 18th 2014, NFocus will introduce a simplified list delivery notification for LISTCOUNTS. We have improved the email notification so that you will receive only one confirmation email and one completion email per transaction.

This new consolidated completion email will contain separate links to download all your data files, and if you selected to have your data files “Merged” the new completion email will contain one link.

We know your time is valuable and we hope you will enjoy this simplified process.

Online System Alerts!

You have worked hard to acquire your customers, let us give you the tools to help keep them. The Encore iMM Email Management solution by NFocus gives you the ability to better understand your clients and provide relevant, personalized email messages that will get response and grow your bottom line. We can help you turn your basic email address list into an intelligent and powerful multi-channel marketing tool by allowing you to target by demographics, transactional and spending characteristics, and online behaviors. Contact NFocus today to learn more about Encore iMM.

March DYK Events

March is Employee Spirit Month!

March 3rd is National Pancake Day (IHOP gives out a free short stack for a donation to charities!)

March 6th is Oreo Cookie Day and Employee Appreciation Day. I say we feed the minions Oreo's!

March 13th is Digital Learning Day. Sign up for some webinar's!

March 20th is Snowman Burning Day!

March 30th is Erin's Birthday!

Real-time triggered campaigns such as second abandoned cart reminders have a 54 percent lift in revenue, while browse emails have a 3.4x increase in revenue. - Experian "2013 Email Market Study" (2014)